Device for supporting grain elevator spouts



19, 1952 o. c. NICOLAUS ET AL 2,58 ,077

DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING GRAIN ELEVATOR SPOUTS Filed Dec. 4, 1950 W 34 "T5 INVENTOR. OTTO c. NICOLALiSJSAND DELMAR o. NI COL W E; a. BY W12 Patented Feb. 19, 1952 DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING GRAIN ELEVATOR SPOUTS Otto 0. Nicolaus and Delmar 0. Nicolaus, Julesburg, 0010.

Application December 4, 1950, Serial No. 199,066

4 Claims. 1 This invention relates to a device for supporting a flexible grain spout of the type employed for loading cars at a grain elevator. At the usual grain elevator, box cars are loaded with vgrain by passing a flexible spout into the extremities' of the car over retaining boards extending across the car doors. It is exceedingly difficult to support these relatively heavy and clumsy spouts in the cars over the retaining boards at the door.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a grain spout supporting device which can remain permanently in place on the side of the grain elevator, and which can be quickly and easily extended into a grain car for supporting the grain discharge spout at any desired positicn and at any desired elevation in the car Without it being necessary for the operator to enter the car, and which when not in use may be folded flat against the wall of the grain elevator so as not to interfere with passing trains.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will not require attachment to the grain car in any way so that movements of the car will not interfere with or damage the device.

The improved grain spout supporting device is designed more particularly as an improvement of the loading spout holder illustrated in applicants patent No. 2,149,123 issued February 28, 1939.

Qther objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer tolike parts in all views of the drawing andthroughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating the improved grain spout supporting device in the open position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof illustrating in broken line the closed position of the improved grain spout supporting device; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, detail section, taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

In Fig. 2 of the drawing the wall of a grain elevator or other supporting structure is indicated by the line I0, and the position of the door- 2 Figs. 1 and 2. A conventional flexible grain chute is indicated at 41.

The improved grain spout supporting device is more particularly intended for mounting opposite the doorway I I of the elevator, but is not limited to this particular position of mounting as it may be mounted at any desired position on the wall of an elevator or other supporting structure. The improved device consists of two vertical uprights I2 and I3 which are attached directly to the wall of the elevator II) or supported in other suitable ways. A third upright I4 is mounted between the first uprights I2 and I3 and spaced from the wall In by means of spacing blocks I5.

The usual grain elevator door is of the sliding or rolling type, and by placing the upright M away from the wall at one side of the door, the door is allowed to pass between the upright I4 and the elevator. A pair of horizontal pipes or parallel slide bars I6 are secured to and mounted between the uprights I3 and I4.

A side frame I! is hinged upon the upright I2 upon suitable hinge members I8. The side frame I! is welded to or otherwise supports a front frame I9 by means of suitable hinges 2 I.

The folding frame 20 extends toward the elevator wall I0 and terminates on hinge pins 22. The hinge pins 22 are carried in hinge ears formed on tubular sliding fittings '23 which are slidable along the parallel bars I6. It can be seen that if the fittings 23 are moved away from the door II toward the far extremities of the bars I6, the front frame I9 will be pulled back toward the wall III to the dotted line position of Fig. 2.

The folding frame 29 may be'locked in either the extended position of Fig. 1, or the folded broken line position of Fig. 2, by means of an upper hook 24 and a lower hook 25. The hooks 24 and 25 are mounted on retaining bolts 26 which also serve to hold the inner extremities of the bars I6 to the upright It. The two hooks are connected together by means of a lift rod 21 by means of which both hooks may be lifted simultaneously.

A pivot shaft 28 is vertically supported in a suitable bearing 29 on the top of the front frame I9 and extends through a horizontal platform plate M supported in the front frame. The shaft 23 supports an elongated slide housing 30 upon a suitable hinge pin 3!. The slide housing 30 may be tilted up and down about the axis of the pin 3| by means of a jack screw 32 extending from a hinge pin 33 on the housing 30 into a screw jack 34.

The screw jack may be of the usual automobile type actuated by means of a jack handle 37 and is mounted by means of side straps 35 upon a hinge bolt 36 extending through the pivot shaft 28. The pivot shaft 28 is rotated through the medium of a toothed sector plate 38 fixedly mounted thereon whichis in constant mesh with a threaded worm 39. The worm 39 is mounted in bearings 40 on the platform 4| and terminates in an operating crank 48.

A toothed rack bar 42, provided along its lower edge with rack teeth 43, is slidably mounted in and extends completely through the slide' housing 30. The rack bar 42 terminates at itsj other extremity in a clamp collar 46 which is clamped about the extremity of the grain chute 41 by means of a clamp bolt 49 which secures the collar 46 to the rack bar 42.

When the improved grain spout is not in use, the fittings 23 are slid toward the, extremities of the bars l6 and the slide housing 39'with its rack bar 32 is folded fiat against the wall l9, as shown in broken line in Fig. 2. The'device is secured in this position by fitting'the hooks 24 and 25 over the folded folding frame 20.

When desired for use, "the-hooks are released by forcing the lift rod '2'! upwardly and the fittings 23 are slid toward the upright 14 where they are again securedby the hooks 24 and 25 which engage the side folding frame 20. This positions the front frame 19 directly opposite the doorway of a waitingcar. The crank 48 is now rotated to point the rack'bar 42 toward the door of the car. The crank 31 is rotated to vertically position the spout 41 so 'that'it may pass into the open door. The crank 45 is now rotated to extend the rack bar 42 to carry the spout 4'! into the car the desired -distance. The position of the discharge extremity of the spout in the car can then be regulated 'by'proper manipulation of the cranks 48, 34 and 45. The spout can be withdrawn as the car fills by simple reversal of the above procedure.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thusdescribed th invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A grain spout supporting device comprising: two spaced-apart uprights; an intermediate upright positioned between said spaced-apart uprights; a horizontal slide member extending between one of said spaced-apart uprights and'said intermediate upright; a side frame hingedly mounted on the other spaced-apart upright and extending outwardly therefrom; a front frame mounted on the outer extremity of said side frame; a swinging frame hingedly mounted at its outer extremity on said front frame; a slid- 4 ing fitting slidably mounted on said slide member; a hinge member securing the inner extremity of said swinging frame to said slide member; and means on said front frame for supporting a grain spout.

2. A grain spout supporting device as described in claim 1 in which locking means are provided for locking said fitting at the extremities of its travel along said slide member.

3. A grain spout supporting device comprising: two spaced-apart uprights; an intermediate upright positioned between said spaced-apart uprights; a pair of vertically-spaced slide bars mounted on and extending between one of said spaced-apart uprights and said intermediate upright; asliding fitting mounted on each slide 'onsaid fittings and extending outwardly therefrom; hinge means securing the outer extremity of said Swinging frame to said front frame; a pivot shaft rotatably mounted in said front frame and extending upwardly therefrom; and means on the upper extremity of said pivot shaft for supporting a grain spout.

4. A grain spout supporting device comprising: two spaced-apart uprights; an intermediate upright positioned between said spaced-apart uprights; a pair of vertically-spaced slide bars mounted on and extending'between one of said spaced-apart uprights and'said intermediate upright; a sliding fitting mounted on each slide bar; a pair of vertically aligned hinge members mounted on the other spaced-apart upright; a side frame hingedly mounted on said hinges and extending outwardly therefrom; a front frame vertically mounted on the outer extremity of said side frame; a swinging frame hingedly mounted on said fittings and extending outwardly therefrom; hinge means securing the outer extremity of said swinging frame to said front frame; a pivot shaft rotatably mounted in said front frame and extending upwardly therefrom; an elongated slide housing tiltab-ly mounted on said shaft; a slide bar slidably mounted in said housing; means for sliding said bar in said housing; means for rotating said shaft; and means on the outerextremity of said slide bar for supporting a grain spout.

OTTO C. NICOLAUS. DELMAR O. NICOLAUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,149,123 Nicolaus Feb. 28, 1939 

